Argentina shone against Italy and look for another win in Pamplona. Photo: Rafael Mario Quinteros.
The Argentine soccer team take on Estonia in Pamplona, Spain, in an international friendly in which they will seek filming for the World Cup in Qatar, which will take place from 21 November to 18 December this year.
The match will start at 15:00 (Argentine time) at the El Sadar stadium, where Osasuna is the venue and with the TyC Sports broadcast.
Argentina, who last Wednesday were champions of the Grand Final against Italy 3-0 at Wembley, England, will present an eleven with several substitutes to test them for Qatar.
It is that the coach Lionel Scaloni has made it clear a lot after the victory against the European champion that it will be “different” if he has 23 or 26 on the list, as FIFA crashed a few months ago. The three extra seats would open the doors, for example, to Paulo Dybala, who doesn’t have a club after leaving Juventus in Italy.
The final number of members of the World Cup lists will be known, reportedly, in the middle of this month, when they are the bottom three finishers of the playoffs.
Argentina will have three goalkeepers and eight defenders, according to the words of the same coach in the last press conference, which would leave room for 12 players between midfield and attack, with their firm points such as Lionel Messi, Ángel Di María and Lautaro Martínez.
“The list is the 30 players who always come and, if there are 26, there are. It will be one in defense, one in the middle and one in attack that could be ruled out. If we play with four defenders, I will have a minimum of eight. It will depend. from how many will leave, from the moment of the players and from the fact that they will be able to exploit it in these months “, said the DT.
Consequently, tomorrow’s test against one of the worst teams in Europe, to the point of playing in Division D of the UEFA Nations League, will be an opportunity for those players in doubt and who are struggling to be in the final call-up.
One who has joined this call is defender Marcos Senesi, currently at Feyenoord in the Netherlands, and he would have his chance to prove himself in the center of defense tomorrow. The former San Lorenzo has ruled out the call for Italy because he “would never” wear another shirt, he said in preview.
Senesi’s fight goes hand in hand with Lisandro Martínez, one who is usually called up and is a figure of Ajax, the last Dutch champion.
The other unknown is who will be in goal after the disaffection of Emiliano Martínez, who went to Argentina to undergo studies on the patellar tendon of the left knee. The three goalkeepers have chances even though Franco Armani and Gerónimo Rulli are slightly ahead of Juan Musso, who was not on the bench at Wembley.
Doubts also in midfield that did not dissipate in the European afternoon free practice at Athletic Club. The two candidates are Guido Rodríguez -in the match against Italy- and Alexis Mac Allister, although the latter could also take the place by Alejandro “Papu” Gómez, lower level at the end of the season with Sevilla.
Finally, above Paulo Dybala, Julián Álvarez and Joaquín Correa “fight” for the vacancy in the trident with Lionel Messi and Nicolás González.
The agenda after the celebrations in England left the exits of “Dibu”, midfielder Leandro Paredes and striker Ángel Correa, all due to various injuries.
Argentina are 32 games unbeaten, the longest in their history, and will be looking to add them to this low-risk match.
Estonia, in fact, appeared at home on Thursday and have just beaten San Marino 2-0, at the start of group D2 of the UEFA Nations League.
-Possible Formations-
Argentina: Franco Armani or Geronimo Rulli; Gonzalo Montiel, Germán Pezzella, Lisandro Martínez or Marcos Senesi, Marcos Acuña; Exequiel Palacios, Guido Rodríguez or Alexis Mac Allister, Alejandro Gómez or Mac Allister; Lionel Messi, Joaquín Correa or Julián Álvarez or Paulo Dybala and Nicolás González. DT: Lionel Scaloni.
Estonia: Karl Hein; Marten Kuusk, Joonas Tamm and Karol Mets; Sergei Zenjov, Konstantin Vassiljev, Mattias Kait, Vlasiy Sinyavskiy and Vladislav Kreida; Robert Kirss and Erik Sorga. DT: Thomas Haberli.
Timetable: 15.00.
TV: TyC Sports.
Stadium: Osasuna, Spain.
Source: Telam
Source: Clarin
